German old man kills wife 'out of love'

An elderly 92-year-old confessed before the German city court of Würzburg to murder his sick wife, who was dependent on care, after a marriage that lasted nearly 70 years.

At the start of the trial, the defendant’s lawyer said that his client did not act out of selfishness or hostility, but out of love. Then he read a statement on behalf of his client, stating, “I took care of my wife, to the best of my ability, over the years.”

According to the statement, the man took care of his wife almost around the clock, and he received assistance only from a social center twice a week.

The man was feeling desperate, because his wife's care had exhausted him and he did not want her to go to a

nursing home.

And they both agreed to die together.

According to the public prosecutor’s data, on November 3, 2019, the accused killed his wife by suffocation with a blanket.

The prosecution also assumes that the man acted out of desperation because he and his wife were unable to establish a shared life of health and independence.

And the man's suicide attempt failed after he killed his wife.

The public prosecutor said that the man should be held accountable for beating that led to death "without being considered a murderer," adding that it is likely that there is a state of severe depression behind the crime, adding that he tends because of this that the criminal responsibility of the accused is incomplete.

The spouses had no children.

The trial is due to continue until Thursday.